- Recessed lighting installation usually costs $140 to $410, about $290 typical.
- Prices are per light: one recessed can light, cut in and wired.
- Price your own job with the calculator above; it breaks the job into lines.
What recessed lighting installation costs
Recessed lighting installation usually runs $140 to $410. A typical job lands near $290. Prices are per light: one recessed can light, cut in and wired.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Low end | $140 |
| Typical | $290 |
| High end | $410 |
National figures from Fixr and Bob Vila, combined as shown below. Labor rates move the price by state: about $357 typical in Hawaii against $250 in Arkansas.
What drives the price
- New construction or retrofit. Open ceilings are fast. Retrofit cans in finished ceilings take longer.
- Number of lights. Fixr's typical job is six lights, $1,467 in all. More lights on one circuit cost less each.
- Attic access. Lights below an accessible attic are quicker to wire.
- Fixture type. Slim LED wafers skip the can and are quicker to fit. Insulation-contact rated housings are needed where insulation touches.
Recessed lighting installation cost by state
Estimates by state, made by Koira: the national recessed lighting installation range with its labor part, roughly 60%, adjusted to local wages for construction and extraction workers. Real quotes vary with the job.
| State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $123 | $256 | $362 |
| Alaska | $163 | $337 | $476 |
| Arizona | $138 | $286 | $404 |
| Arkansas | $121 | $250 | $353 |
| California | $157 | $325 | $460 |
| Colorado | $142 | $295 | $417 |
| Connecticut | $157 | $325 | $460 |
| Delaware | $140 | $289 | $409 |
| District of Columbia | $155 | $321 | $454 |
| Florida | $126 | $260 | $368 |
| Georgia | $126 | $261 | $370 |
| Hawaii | $172 | $357 | $505 |
| Idaho | $135 | $280 | $396 |
| Illinois | $170 | $351 | $497 |
| Indiana | $143 | $297 | $420 |
| Iowa | $140 | $290 | $410 |
| Kansas | $134 | $277 | $391 |
| Kentucky | $131 | $271 | $384 |
| Louisiana | $126 | $262 | $370 |
| Maine | $141 | $292 | $413 |
| Maryland | $140 | $291 | $411 |
| Massachusetts | $165 | $342 | $484 |
| Michigan | $142 | $295 | $417 |
| Minnesota | $158 | $328 | $464 |
| Mississippi | $122 | $253 | $357 |
| Missouri | $143 | $296 | $419 |
| Montana | $142 | $294 | $416 |
| Nebraska | $132 | $273 | $386 |
| Nevada | $143 | $296 | $419 |
| New Hampshire | $141 | $292 | $412 |
| New Jersey | $160 | $331 | $467 |
| New Mexico | $126 | $262 | $370 |
| New York | $155 | $322 | $455 |
| North Carolina | $126 | $260 | $368 |
| North Dakota | $142 | $295 | $417 |
| Ohio | $144 | $298 | $421 |
| Oklahoma | $125 | $258 | $365 |
| Oregon | $149 | $309 | $437 |
| Pennsylvania | $141 | $293 | $414 |
| Rhode Island | $145 | $300 | $424 |
| South Carolina | $126 | $261 | $369 |
| South Dakota | $127 | $262 | $371 |
| Tennessee | $127 | $264 | $373 |
| Texas | $125 | $260 | $367 |
| Utah | $137 | $283 | $400 |
| Vermont | $140 | $291 | $411 |
| Virginia | $136 | $281 | $397 |
| Washington | $163 | $337 | $476 |
| West Virginia | $137 | $284 | $402 |
| Wisconsin | $146 | $302 | $427 |
| Wyoming | $140 | $291 | $411 |
Big metro areas often run above their state's figure.
How we got these numbers
We take the middle of the guides' lows for the low end, the middle of their highs for the high end, and the middle of their averages for the typical recessed lighting installation price. Where a guide gives no average we use its midpoint. All read on October 9, 2026.
Labor share used: 60%. Recessed lights are mostly cutting, wiring and patching time. Koira's assumption. State factor: the state's median hourly wage for construction and extraction workers over the national $28.63 (BLS, May 2025), kept between 0.7 and 1.4.
For contractors: price this job in Koira
Electrical work needs permits and inspections, so put the permit on its own line and the homeowner sees why it is there.
Run the numbers for a real recessed lighting installation in the free recessed lighting installation cost calculator, then save the result as an estimate. With Koira's free Office plan, the recessed lighting installation estimate, the deposit and the final invoice live in one place, sent by text. See estimates. Price this job in Koira, free.
Sources: Fixr, recessed lighting installation cost; Bob Vila, recessed lighting installation cost; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files). Prices checked October 9, 2026. More for your trade: how the trade runs on Koira.